Saturday, November 14, 2009

YAMUNA “ TASK-FORCE ”

Jai Hind,

THE ORGANIZATION HAS PREPARED ITS OWN “ TASK-FORCE ” ENGAGING HUNDREDS OF YOUTH WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO WORK IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY ON EVERY ALTERNATIVE DAY AND MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF PLASTIC BAGS ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND ALSO TO COLLECT FLOWERS AND OTHER ARTICLES LEFT AFTER POOJA OR THROWN INTO THE YAMUNA.

OUR COUNTRY…..A NEAT AND CLEAN COUNTRY WHICH THEY DREAMT OF, LETS JOIN HANDS FOR THIS NOBLE AND SPIRITUAL MISSION.

It crosses several states, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi, and meets several of its tributaries on the way, including Tons, its largest and longest tributary, Chambal, which has its own large basin, followed bySindh, the Betwa, and Ken. Most importantly it creates the highly fertile alluvial, Yamuna-Ganges Doab region between itself and the Ganges in the Indo-Gangetic plain. Nearly 57 million people depend on the Yamuna waters. With an annual flow of about 10,000 cubic billion metres (cbm) and usage of 4,400 cbm (of which irrigation constitutes 96 per cent), the river accounts for more than 70 per cent of Delhi’s water supplies. Just like the Ganges, the Yamuna too is highly venerated in Hinduism and worshipped as goddess Yamuna, throughout its course. In Hindu mythology, she is the daughter of Sun God,Surya, and sister of Yama, the God of Death, hence also known as Yami and according to popular legends, bathing in its sacred waters frees one from the torments of death [1][2].

The water of Yamuna is of "reasonably good quality" through its length from Yamunotri in the Himalayas to Wazirabad in Delhi, about 375 km, where the discharge of waste water through 15 drains between Wazirabad barrage and Okhla barrage renders the river severely polluted after Wazirabad in Delhi. One official describes the river as a "sewage drain" with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values ranging from 14 to 28 mg/l and highcoliform content [3]. There are three main sources of pollution in the river, namely households and municipal disposal sites, soil erosion resulting from deforestation occurring to make way for agriculture along with resulting chemical wash-off from fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and run-off from commercial activity and industrial sites.

The source of Yamuna lies in the YamunotriGlacier at a height 6,387 mtrs., on the south western slopes of Banderpooch peaks, which lie in the Mussoorie range of Lower Himalayas, in theUttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, north of Haridwar[1]. Yamunotri temple, a shrine dedicated to the goddess, Yamuna is one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism, and part of the Chota Char DhamYatracircuit. Also standing close to the temple, on its 13 km trek route, that follows the right bank of the

From here it flows southwards, for about 200 km through the Lower Himalayas and the Shivalik Hills Range and morainicdeposited are found in its steep Upper Yamuna valley, highlighted with geomorphicfeatures such as interlocking spurs, steep rock benches, and stream terraces. Large terraces formed over a long period of time can be seen in the lower course of the river, like ones near Naugoan. An important part of its early catchment area totalling 2,320 km² lies in Himachal Pradesh, and an important tributary draining the Upper Catchment Area is theTons, Yamuna's largest and longest tributary, which rises from the Hari-ki-dun valley and holds water more than the main stream, which it merges after Kalsi near Dehradun. The entire drainage system of the river stretches all the way between Giri-Sutlej catchment in Himachal and Yamuna-Bhilangna catchment inGarhwal, indeed the southern ridge of Shimla is also drained into this system.

Other tributaries in the region are the Giri, Rishi Ganga, Kunta, Hanuman Ganga and Bata tributaries, which drain the Upper Catchment Area of the vast Yamuna basin [6]. Thereafter the river descends on to the plains of Doon Valley, at Dak Pathar near Dehradun. Here through a weir dam, the water is diverted into a canal for power generation, little further down where Yamuna is met by the Assan River, lies the Assan barrage, which hosts a Bird Sanctuary as well. After passing theSikh pilgrimage town of Paonta Sahib, it reaches Tajewala in Yamuna Nagar district, of Haryana, where a dam built in 1873, is the originating place of two important canals, the Western Yamuna Canal and Eastern Yamuna Canal, which irrigate the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) crosses Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and Panipat before reaching the Haiderpur treatment plant, which supplies part of municipal water supply to Delhi, further it also receives waste water from Yamuna Nagar and Panipat cities. Yamuna is replenished again after this by seasonal streams and groundwater accrual, in fact during the dry season, it remains dry in many stretches from Tajewala till Delhi, where it enters near Palla village after traversing 224 km.

The Yamuna also creates natural state borders between the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, and further down between the state of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Along with Ganges to which run almost parallel after it touches the Indo-Gangetic plain, the largestalluvial fertile plain in the world, it creates the Ganges-Yamuna Doab region spread across 69,000 km2, one-third of the entire plain, and today known for its agricultural outputs, prominent among them is the cultivation of Basmati Rice. The plain itself supports one-third of India's population through its farming [7].

Ancient literature and history

Literally meaning "twins" in Sanskrit, as it runs parallel to the Ganges, its name is mentioned at many places in the Rig Veda, written during theVedic period ca between 1700–1100 BC, and also in the later Atharvaveda, and the Brahmanasincluding Aitareya Brahmana and Shatapatha Brahmana[10]. In Rig Veda, the story of the Yamuna describes her "excessive love" for her twin, Yama, who in turn asks her to find a suitable match for herself, which she does in Krishna. The tale is further detailed in the 16th century Sanskrithymn, Yamunashtakam, an ode by philosopherVallabhacharya. Here the story of descent to meet her beloved Krishna and to purify the world has been put in verse. The hymn also he praises her for being the source of all spiritual abilities, while Ganga (Ganges) is considered an epitome of asceticism and higher knowledge and can grant us Moksha or liberation, it is Yamuna, who being a holder of infinite love and compassion, can grant us freedom from even death, the realm of her elder brother. She rushes down the Kalinda Mountain, and verily describes her as the daughter of Kalinda, giving her another name, Kalindi, the backdrop of Krishna Leela. The text also talk about her water being of the colour of Lord Krishna, which is dark (Shyam) [11][12].

There is evidence indicating Yamuna was a tributary of the Ghaggar river, also known as the Vedic Sarasvati River in the ancient past and the rivers were collectively known as Sapta Sindhu or seven streams. It changed its course to east following a tectonic event in north India and became a tributary of the Ganges instead. As the it is believed that the Sarasvati river dried and it also meant the end of many Indus Valley civilization settlements, and creation of the Thar desert, the Ghaggar-Hakra river now flows only during the monsoon season [14][15][16]. The importance of the Ganges-Yamuna river basin, and the Doab region as traditional the seat of power, can be derived from the fact, in much of early history of India, most of great empires, which ruled over majority of India, until the ChalukyasKing, Vinayaditya, were based in the highly fertile Ganges-Yamuna basin, including the Magadha (ca 600 BC), Maurya Empire (321-185 BC), Sunga Empire (185-73 BCE), Kushan Empire (1st–3rd centuries CE), Gupta Empire (280–550 CE), and many had their capitals here, in cities like Pataliputra or Mathura. These rivers were revered throughout these kingdoms that flourished on their banks, in fact ever since the period of Chandragupta II (r. 375-415 CE), statues both Ganges and Yamuna became common throughout the Gupta Empire. Further to the South, images of the Ganges and Yamuna are found amidst shrines of the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas (753–982), as well as on their royal seals, and prior to them, the Chola Empire too added the river into their architectural motifs. The Three River Goddess shrine, next of famous Kailash rock-cut Temple at Ellora, built by Rashtrakuta King, Govinda III, shows Ganges flanked by the Yamuna and Saraswati [17].

Mythology

The goddess of the river, also known as Yami, is the sister of Yama, god of death, and the daughter of Surya, the Sun god, and his wifeSaranyu[18]. The river Yamuna is also connected to the religious beliefs surrounding Krishna and various stories connected with Him are found in Hindu mythology, especially the Puranas, like that of Kaliya Daman, the subduing of Kaliya, a poisonous Nāga snake, which had inhabited the river and terrorized the people of Braja.[19][20].

Important tributaries

Tons River, Yamuna's largest and longest tributary, rises in the 20,720 ft (6,315 m) high Bandarpoonch mountain, and has a large basin in Himachal Pradesh. It meets Yamuna below Kalsi near Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Irrigation

The importance of Yamuna in the Indo-Gangetic Plains is enhanced by its many canals, some dating back to as early as 14th century CE by the Tughlaq dynasty, which built the Nahr-i-Bahisht (Paradise), parallel to the river, it was later restored and extended by the Mughals in the first half of seventeenth century, by engineer Ali Mardan Khan, starting from Benawas where the river enters the plains and terminating near the Mughal capital, Shahjahanabad, the present city of Delhi [21]. As the Yamuna enters the Northern plains near Dak Pathar at a height of 790 meters, two canals namely, the Eastern and Western Yamuna Canals commence from theAssan barrage about 11 kilometers from Dak Pathar in Doon Valley, the canals irrigate vast tracts of lands in the region, then once its passes Delhi, it feeds the Agra Canal built in 1874, which starts from Okhla barrage beyond the Nizamuddin bridge, and the high land between the Khari-Nadi and the Yamuna and before joining the Banganga river about 20 miles below Agra. Thus during the summer season, the stretch above Agra resembles a minor stream [2].

A heavy freight canal, known as the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL), is being built westwards from near its headwaters through the Punjab region near an ancient caravan route and highlands pass to the navigable parts of the Sutlej-Induswatershed. This will connect the entireGanges, which flows to the east coast of the subcontinent, with points west (via Pakistan). When completed, the SYL will allow shipping from India's east coast to the west coast and the Arabian sea, drastically shortening shipping distances and creating important commercial links for north-central India's large population. The canal starts near Palla village near Delhi, and was to transfer Haryana's share of 3,500,000 acre feet (4.32 km3) from Indus Basin, though state of Haryana has completed its portion, Punjab is against its construction, and the state legislature passed the "Punjab Termination of Agreement Act 2004", which declared earlier agreements null and void [1].

Pollution

The waters of Yamuna distinguishable as "clear blue" as compared to silt-ridden yellow of the Ganges [26]. However, due to high density population growth, rapid industrialization, today Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially around New Delhi, the capital of India, which dumps about 58% of its waste into the river. Though numerous attempts have been made to clean it, the efforts have proven to be futile. Although the government of India has spent nearly $500 million to clean up the river, the river continues to be polluted with garbage while most sewage treatment facilities are underfunded or malfunctioning. In addition, the water in this river remains stagnant for almost 9 months in a year aggravating the situation. Delhi alone contributes around 3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage in the river. The government of India over the next five years has prepared plans to rebuild and repair the sewage system and the drains that empty into the river. To address river pollution, certain measures of cleaning river have been taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India (GOI) in 12 towns of Haryana, 8 towns of Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi under an action plan (Yamuna Action Plan-YAP) which is being implemented since 1993 by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is participating in the Yamuna Action Plan in 15 of the above 21 towns (excluding 6 towns of Haryana included later on the direction of Supreme Court of India) with soft loan assistance of 17.773 billion Japanese Yen(equivalent to about Rs. 700 crore INR) while GOI is providing the funds for the remaining 6 towns added later. The Indian government's plans to repair sewage lines is predicted to improve the water quality of the river 90% by the year 2010.[27][28][29].

However in 2009, the Union government admitted to the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament), the failure of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), saying that "rivers Ganga and Yamuna are no cleaner now than two decades ago" despite spending over Rs 1,700 crore to control pollution. According to a CSE official these plans adopted the Thames model, which based on a centralized sewage treatment system, this meant that huge sum of money and a 24-hr power supply were needed to manage the treatment plants, while only 8-hr power supply was available, contributing to their failure[30].In August 2009, he Delhi Jal Board (DJB) initiated its plan for resuscitating the Yamuna’s 22 km stretch in Delhi by constructing interceptor sewers, at the cost of about Rs 1,800 crore [31].

"Simply by bathing in the Yamuna, anyone can diminish the reactions of his sinful activities." (Krishna Book, Chap 38)

Origin:The holy Yamuna River begins from Yamunotri, which is north of Haridwar in the Himalayas Mountains. Yamunotri, which is north of Haridwar in the Himalayas Mountains . Technically the source of the Yamuna is Saptarishi Kund, a glacial lake.

Mythological History: According to legend, the Yamuna is the daughter of Surya and Sharanyu and the twin sister of yama, the god of Death. It is said that Sharanyu, unable to bear the lustre of the quivering Surya, closed her eyes upon which he cursed her. It was then that Yamuna was born. The Yamuna is thus also known as the quivering river.

Dip in the Yamuna: Yamuna is considered more pious than Ganga because it was here that Krishna played and swam. One who takes bath in the river Yamuna is freed from all past sins and contamination of this material world. That person will also gradually become a pure devotee and achieve liberation

Its Journey: The river Yamuna, a major tributary of river Ganges, originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Banderpoonch peaks (38o 59' N 78o 27' E) in the Mussourie at an elevation of about 6387 meters above mean sea level in district Uttarkashi (Uttranchal). It flows through a number of important towns, Delhi,Mathura-Brindaban, and Agra to name some. Since ancient times, the Doab region, where the Ganga and the Yamuna flow, has been considered one of the most fertile areas in the subcontinent. The Tons, largest tributary of the Yamuna, has some magical spots in it's upper reaches. Forests of Alder and Blue pine lead to the famous Har-ki-Dun catchment area, source of another tributary, the Rupin.

Dump Ground For Pollution:Today however, this majestic river is polluted with domestic waste, silt, and industrial waste. The 22-km stretch between Wazirabad and the Okhla barrage in Delhi is only 2% of the catchment area, but it contributes about 80% of the river's total pollution load. The Hindon Canal also discharges waste from Uttar Pradesh in this stretch. Among the many casualties are birds and fish. There was a time when bird watchers had identified as many as 30 species of birds near the Yamuna, many of them exotic, such as the red-crested pochard and the godwit.

Yamuna Action Plan(Yap):In recent years the river has become grossly polluted due to various causes affecting human health and bio-diversity of the eco-system. One of the main causes of pollution of the river is discharge of untreated domestic wastewater and other wastes into the river from the towns located along its banks. To arrest river pollution, certain measures of cleaning river have been taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, of the Government of India

India's rivers are drowning in pollution

The Indian government has spent half-a-billion dollars trying to clean up Delhi's amuna River. It's only gotten worse, says Fortune's Daniel Pepper.

June 4 2007: 8:40 AM EDT

(Fortune Magazine) -- At dawn, under the belly of a wrought-iron bridge, 12-year-old Somnath Dantoso drops a dumbbell-shaped magnet from his makeshift raft into New Delhi's Yamuna River. It is a routine he has followed daily for four years. The magnet sinks 30 feet below the river's inky surface and on a good day brings up about 50 rupees' ($1.22) worth of coins that commuters toss in for good luck. "When people stop throwing coins, I'm going to open a grocery shop," he says. "Otherwise I'll do this the rest of my life."

The coins are the least of the Yamuna's problems: The stretch of river where Somnath works is so contaminated that it can hardly sustain marine life. Garbage cascades down its banks, giving off a fetid stench. And half of the city's raw sewage flows into its waters. "The river is dead," says Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment, a watchdog group in New Delhi. "It just has not been officially cremated."

The blighting of the Yamuna is a symptom of India's unchecked urban growth and poor oversight. The government has spent nearly $500 million trying to clean up the river, most of it going to waste-treatment stations, yet pollution levels more than doubled from 1993 to 2005. And they continue to rise.

The problem is that 11 of the city's 17 sewage-treatment plants are underutilized; a quarter of them run at less than 30 percent capacity. That's because the city's sewer system is so corroded and clogged it can't deliver to the treatment plants the waste of the 55 percent of New Delhi's 15 million inhabitants who are connected to the sewage system.

And even if the plants were fully utilized, there would still be the waste from 1,500 unplanned neighborhoods, where sewage "finds its way into the drains and the river," says Arun Mathur, head of the Delhi Jal Board, the government agency responsible for the city's water supply.

The Centre for Science and Environment says that nearly 80 percent of the river's pollution is the result of raw sewage. Combined with industrial runoff, that comes to more than three billion liters of waste per day, a quantity well beyond the river's assimilative capacity. The frothy mix is so glaring it can be viewed on Google Earth.

The Yamuna, which flows 855 miles from the Himalayas into the Ganges, isn't India's only polluted river. Eighty percent of the country's urban waste goes directly into rivers, many of which are so polluted they exceed permissible levels for safe bathing.

The costs to the economy are enormous. Waterborne diseases are India's leading cause of childhood mortality. Shreekant Gupta, a professor at the Delhi School of Economics who specializes in the environment, estimates that lost productivity from death and disease resulting from river pollution and other environmental damage is equivalent to about 4 percent of gross domestic product. "Some of this feeling of euphoria," he says of India's 9 percent growth rate, "gets a bit dampened thinking of environmental degradation."

Sheila Dikshit, New Delhi's chief minister, says the government simply followed the recommendations of outside consultants who encouraged the building of expensive sewage-treatment plants but didn't anticipate the surge in migration of rural poor to New Delhi. "We're tired and frustrated from spending money," she says.

But not everything can be blamed on consultants. An obfuscating web of political appointees, civil servants and weak elected officials has made accountability almost impossible. At least eight city, state and federal agencies oversee various aspects of the Yamuna's cleanup, alternately competing for funds and sometimes passing the buck when public anger reaches a boiling point.

The problem isn't insurmountable, says Gupta, the economics professor. He argues that a clean river is a public good for which people should have to pay. But New Delhi's citizens aren't charged sufficiently for the millions of gallons of waste they flush daily. "Our municipal finances are in a mess," he says, "because we essentially don't raise money from property taxes and user charges, the two sustainable sources of revenue."

Most New Delhi politicians don't want to risk levying new taxes and upsetting voters who already face regular brownouts and water shortages. Some politicians also look favorably on lucrative infrastructure appropriations, which can result in backing from businessmen who receive the contracts.

The fate of the Yamuna is now in the hands of India's Supreme Court, which took up the issue on its own in 1994 after press reports highlighting the river's dismal condition. In early May the Court approved a proposal from the Delhi Jal Board to build interceptor sewers that would channel the waste flowing from unconnected parts of the city to the sewage-treatment plants.

The pricetag for the new construction: another $500 million. Mathur, the board's CEO, predicts that by 2010 - just in time for New Delhi to host the Commonwealth Games set to take place along the banks of the river - the Yamuna will experience a 90 percent improvement in water quality.

But Narain, the director of the Science and Environment Centre, says that throwing more money into a sewage-diversion infrastructure project would be a waste. She has called for rethinking the city's pollution-control paradigm and building small-scale waste-treatment plants on a neighborhood basis, reusing the water locally, and charging higher rates for excessive wastewater.

India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has also come down on the side of innovation. In a speech delivered on World Water Day in March, he called on India's scientists, technologists and engineers to redesign the flush toilet.

Highlight 1999

TREND IN POLLUTION LOAD CONTRIBUTION TO RIVER YAMUNA IN DELHI STRETCH

The trend in pollution load contribution between 1982 to 1998 in terms of BOD load in Delhi stretch shows a continuous increase in BOD load contributed to the river from 117.3 tonnes/day in 1982 to 211.0 tonnes/day in 1998. There is significant increase in annual average contribution during year 1983, 1986 and 1996 in comparison to its preceding year may be due to contribution of high BOD loads along with run-off water. The BOD load in Delhi stretch is calculated considering the data of seven major drains i.e. Burari Drain, Najafgarh Drain, Civil Mill Drain, Power House Drain, Sen Nursing Home Drain, Barapulla Drain and Shahdara Drain only. The data for flow measurement in drains for the year 1992-94 are not available, since the monitoring was discontinued during the period.

No definite trend in water quality has been observed, although pollution load has gradually increased possibly due to following reasons:

1.There is no fresh water flow in many stretches of the river during dry weather, only waste water flows in such stretches. The waste water with almost constant quality over a period of time will not show any trend in the river water quality in such stretches.

2.The abstractive uses of surface and ground water in the catchment area of the river are need based. There is drastic reduction in the water use, if there is rainfall in the command area of the canal used for irrigation, resulting in less abstraction of water and more flow in the river leading to more dilution of pollution and better quality. The rainfall in non-monsoon period are highly unpredictable and irregular, therefore such water quality changes are also irregular. The monitoring has been undertaken on regular basis and such irregular changes are encountered many times leading to irregular water quality trend.

Waste water disposal in River Yamuna from NCT-Delhi

A total of 2083 MLD wastewater is generated within sewered areas of Delhi. Even in the sewered areas, all sources of wastewater (including households are not connected to the sewerage system). As a result, a significant volume of wastewater generated, remains untrapped and find its way into the open drains.

The five sewerage zones of Delhi are catered by five major sewage treatment plants and two Oxidation Ponds having total capacity of about 1473 MLD (as on June, 1999). While, each of these zones have one major STP each, Okhla & Rithala zones are served by an Oxidation Pond each namely Vasantkunj and Timarpur respectively, but they are also considered as STPs for discussion. The total treatment capacity of treatment plants are inadequate and hence the significant amount of waste water having high BOD Load is bound to flow untrapped.

The total amount of BOD, which is released by direct house-connections or through the open drains does not reach to the STPs in the same quantity, but gets exerted due to decomposition of organic matter during course of travel. The extent of exertion can be indicated by the BOD concentration in the sewage at the inlet of each STP. The treatment of STPs provided for the reduction of BOD load upto an extend of 90% depending on the number of stages of treatment but such efficiency are practically difficult to maintain.

The treated effluent from STPs other than what is withdrawn for irrigation purposes, joins nearby water bodies. The discharge from Okhla STP goes to Agra canal and from Vasant Kunj Oxidation Pond to Kushak - Barapulla drain. The effluent from Shahdara STP finds it way into the Shahdara drain, whereas all other STPs and Timarpur Oxidation Pond finally discharge into the Najafgarh drain either directly or through various sub drains. The wastewater not trapped for treatment in STPs find its way into various drains and sub-drains from their respective catchment areas and discharged into the river Yamuna. A small fraction of sewage is also discharged into Agra Canal through Kalkaji and Tughlaqabad drains.

Waste water disposal in River Yamuna from NCT-Delhi

A total of 2083 MLD wastewater is generated within sewered areas of Delhi. Even in the sewered areas, all sources of wastewater (including households are not connected to the sewerage system). As a result, a significant volume of wastewater generated, remains untrapped and find its way into the open drains.

The five sewerage zones of Delhi are catered by five major sewage treatment plants and two Oxidation Ponds having total capacity of about 1473 MLD (as on June, 1999). While, each of these zones have one major STP each, Okhla & Rithala zones are served by an Oxidation Pond each namely Vasantkunj and Timarpur respectively, but they are also considered as STPs for discussion. The total treatment capacity of treatment plants are inadequate and hence the significant amount of waste water having high BOD Load is bound to flow untrapped.

The total amount of BOD, which is released by direct house-connections or through the open drains does not reach to the STPs in the same quantity, but gets exerted due to decomposition of organic matter during course of travel. The extent of exertion can be indicated by the BOD concentration in the sewage at the inlet of each STP. The treatment of STPs provided for the reduction of BOD load upto an extend of 90% depending on the number of stages of treatment but such efficiency are practically difficult to maintain.

The treated effluent from STPs other than what is withdrawn for irrigation purposes, joins nearby water bodies. The discharge from Okhla STP goes to Agra canal and from Vasant Kunj Oxidation Pond to Kushak - Barapulla drain. The effluent from Shahdara STP finds it way into the Shahdara drain, whereas all other STPs and Timarpur Oxidation Pond finally discharge into the Najafgarh drain either directly or through various sub drains. The wastewater not trapped for treatment in STPs find its way into various drains and sub-drains from their respective catchment areas and discharged into the river Yamuna. A small fraction of sewage is also discharged into Agra Canal through Kalkaji and Tughlaqabad drains.

Estimated wastewater discharge received by drains in Delhi (as on March, 1999)

Drain/Canal

From STPs

Untrapped

Total

STP

Flow (MLD)

BOD

(MT/d)

Flow

(MLD)

BOD

(MT/d)

Flow

(MLD)

BOD

(MT/d)

Najafgarh *

Keshopur

Rithala

C.Pillar

Timarpur

272

100

35

11

29.62

5.18

2.70

0.11

950

53.24

1368

90.85

Subtotal

418

37.61

Burari

-

-

-

239

6.06

239

6.06

Shahdara**

Shahdara

46

2.36

390

38.59

436

40.95

Others

-Burari

-Civil Mill

-Power House

-Sen Nursing Home

217

39.82

217

39.82

Vasant Kunj

9

0.10

219

14.96

228

15.06

Agra Canal***

Okhla

474

54.75

474

54.75

Total

947

94.82

1776

152.67

2723

247.49

* Najafgarh drain also receives water from Western Yamuna Canal (WJC).

** Shahdara drain also receives waste water from Ghaziabad and Noida.

Role of NGOs in Environmental Management

Enactment of statutes on Pollution Control and the experience gained in implementation of the various provisions of these Acts in the past more than two decades had indicated that Govt. machinery alone cannot effectively cope-up with the task of pollution control until supported by the masses. The need for participation of masses in achieving the targets committed in the Policy Statements for Abatement of Pollution has been felt strongly. Public interest litigations have successfully demonstrated that responsible and concerned NGOs and public spirited individuals can bring about significant pressure on polluting industries for adopting pollution control measures.

NGO being one of the most effective media to reach the people these days, may play a significant role in this regards. NGOs are assisting the State Pollution Control Boards to a greater extent in providing first hand information and generating mass awareness with regard to control of pollution and can better function in this field in the following ways :

By conducting preliminary river surveys and survey in air pollution control area for identification of any pollution source.

By keeping vigil on abstraction of water/discharge of sewage trade effluent by any industry in quantity in relation to flow/volume.

By conducting sampling and analysis of river/well water to ascertain the quality of river/well water.

By providing information regarding any cause or permit any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into any stream or well or on land or in air.

By keeping vigil in the surrounding area, river, well, land and air against pollution and reporting to State Board/Central Board, if found any.

By providing information whether any river stretch requires prohibition on use for disposal of polluting matters – for notification under Section 24 of the Water Act.

By providing information regarding violation of consent such as discharges in odd hours etc.

By publishing the minimum height of the stack/chimney prescribed for the industry/industrial operation etc. and ambient air and ambient water standards.

By publishing the notified restricted areas where industries, industrial operations etc. shall not be carried out or shall be carried out subject to certain safe-guards.

By providing information on fish kill or other sudden damage to the environment not noticed by the State Board.

As far as, Central Board is concerned, it has been extending its full co-operation by providing financial assistance for conducting mass awareness programme in their area. The water testing kit developed by CPCB is being provided to NGOs on subsidised rates making their task easy. Simultaneously the technical publications are also being provided on subsidised rates to NGOs by CPCB.

In addition to the above, CPCB has been conducting Inter-action meets and Training Programmes through selected Institutions and capable NGOs to other NGOs specially for those working at grass-root level in villages, town and cities.

In all, we appreciate the aptitude and efforts of NGOs who have played magnificent role in this field of environment protection. We expect many more NGOs will come forward to take-up the issues regarding environmental management and promote sustainable development.

A preliminary investigation of pollution in the River Yamuna, Delhi, India: Metal concentrations in river bank soils and plants

Abstract

A preliminary study of inorganic elements in the river bank soil and plants from the River Yamuna in Delhi has been carried out. Soil at Okhla, near the Water Works plant has a high zinc content (1,215 g g–1 and this is reflected in the high concentration of zinc (2,029 g g–1) in Eichhornia plants growing in the river at this point. Although in general the aluminium content of the soils is low in comparison with the world mean, soil near the effluent from the ash settling basins of the Indraprathsa Power Station contains elevated aluminium.Eichhornia plants growing near this effluent are stunted and unhealthy, and is suggested that, taking into account the high pH, possible causes are toxicity from aluminium or boron.

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NEW DELHI, APRIL 7: Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has castigated the Delhi Government for its `tardiness' in executing the management of sewage treatment resulting in severe pollution of the river Yamuna.

"The water quality of river Yamuna continues to be polluted by domestic sewage and industrial effluents from Delhi while the water quality at the point where the river enters Delhi is of acceptable quality. Pollution load from Delhi renders it severely polluted downstream," the CAG said in its report.

The report for the year ended March 1999 said despite measures, the pollution level of Yamuna has increased two-folds between 1982 to 1998.

The management of sewage treatment by city government through executing agency Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has been "tardy". During the seven years 1992-99, the government has been able to increase the sewage treatment by only 112 Million Litre Per Day (MLD)," the report said.

Of the total estimated quantity of 2,852 MLD sewage generated in Delhi, the government is able to treat only 886 MLD, leaving 1,966 MLD of untreated sewage being discharged in the river causing serious pollution to the water.

Due to mismatch of the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and sewage interception, large capacity of STPs remained un-utilised, while in other areas untreated sewage was discharged in the river.

Even the STPs constructed were not being utilised optimally due to "failure" of the Delhi Government to ensure completion of attendant sewerage lines and proper interception and diversion, the CAG said.

"In one of the STPs sample checks, the sewage even after treatment was found to be grossly polluted," it said.

Industrial pollution also remains to be tackled, the CAG said adding 348 out of 428 grossly polluting industries had not put up effluent treatment plants and in addition, construction of none of the 15 common effluent treatment plants to tackle the pollution from other polluting industrial units has been taken up.

Observing that "Delhi continues to pollute the river seriously", it said the main objective of the programme implemented by the city government from their own resources and also under Ganga Action Plan was to reduce the pollution level in rivers to make them suitable for bathing.

The present water quality in stretch of river between Wazirabad and Okhla Barriage is of `E' category that is, suitable for irrigation and industrial cooling only against required category of `B' which is suitable for bathing.

The reasons for excessive water pollution can be attributed to underestimation of the quantum of sewage by the DJB, improper maintenance of the sewers leading to under utilisation of STPs, lackadaisical and slow pace of construction of STPs and overall deficient planning to address a problem that is threatening to assume serious consequences for Delhiites and ultimately for the water quality of Ganga.

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Aim is to serve the nation in various ways. You must be aware of the pollution being caused due to the disposal of used flowers and other worship materials in our Holy River Yamuna , and carried by all the rivers of India. Our organization, YFF, has undertaken a project to clean the rivers of INDIA starting with The YAMUNA, which will be starting from Delhi .